Me: Naruto does not belong to me
Maika: You've been taking your sweet time.
Me: *pouts*
Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. ~Anthony Brandt
I.
Fugaku eventually admitted defeat and their team stayed together.
When Maika learned of this, it was in an hour long rant that Shisui laid on her while Itachi simply watched her with that disappointed look that made her feel like the scum of the Earth.
At the end of the rant, Shisui paused, looked at her long-suffering face, and grinned, leaping forward to catch her in a truly massive bear hug. "You did good, Maika-chan." He whispered in her ear.
She smiled and hugged him back. A few seconds later, he released her and left her to Itachi's mercy.
Sighing, Maika glanced at Itachi, took in his rigid body language, and sat herself back down on the grass, preparing herself for a dressing down even more severe than Shisui's had been.
He let the silence stretch out for long, painful minutes before he said, "You challenged my father."
"Yes."
"You went behind our backs."
She grimaced. He just had to pick on that, didn't he? "Yes."
"You could have gotten us all in major trouble."
"But I didn't." Maika pointed out.
He gave her a look of quiet fury. "But you could have."
She sighed in defeat. You simply couldn't argue with Itachi. "Fine."
"You don't regret it." He noted.
"Nope." She said candidly.
Itachi rose to his feet and walked over to her. Maika looked up at her childhood friend without fear, meeting his obsidian eyes openly. He studied her for a long time, but she wasn't intimidated. She had never been intimidated by him.
Suddenly, he fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her hair. Startled, she froze and then registered the gentle tremors that wracked her powerful teammate.
"I wouldn't have been able to stop Otou-san." He whispered into her ear, voice tormented. "I'm not strong enough."
At last, she understood: she had made him afraid. Regret staining her rose eyes, she let herself melt into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him.
"Ssshh." Maika gathered her chakra up and flung it around him like a blanket as he so often did to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
Itachi closed his eyes, holding her closer against him. "You could have gotten hurt and I wouldn't have been able to do a single thing about it."
"I know, I know." She soothed, feeling his chakra slide against her own to enclose her in a protective layer. "I'm sorry."
He just shook his head and held her. They stayed like that for a long time.
When he finally pulled away, Itachi grinned at her, eyes lighting up with unexpected mischievousness. "Sasuke hero worships you, you know. He thinks you're the best thing since tomatoes, what with the way you stood up against Otou-san."
Maika groaned and buried her face against his shoulder.
II.
They trained together, as they had never done before under Juro-sensei.
Cruel as it may have been, some part of Maika was glad that their sensei was dead. He never would have been able to treat her as an equal to Itachi and Shisui, and she had always known that. The other part mourned him as one more precious person she had lost.
Shisui and Itachi mastered their Sharingan in no time at all, while she finally gained control of her chakra chains.
They were one of the best chunin teams in Konoha.
C-ranks.
B-ranks.
A-ranks.
Along the way, they taught and learned from each other.
Maika was wind and earth to Itachi's fire and water and Shisui's fire and electricity.
Needless to say, when her boys used the Grand Fireball Technique and she backed it up with a Wind Gale Technique, the results were devastating.
Shisui taught Maika speed and stealth. He showed her how to move like a blur and sneak behind an unsuspecting enemy.
Itachi taught Maika tactics and skill. He played shogi with her until she could beat him at least half of the times and tested his shurikenjutsu against hers.
She taught them both the basics of kenjutsu and fuinjutsu, how to evade and confuse sensors and their barriers.
They made jounin when Maika was ten years old. At her birthday, Itachi hugged her tight and pressed a pair of red jasper earrings into her hand.
Shisui became known for his Body Flicker Jutsu and speed.
Itachi became known for his genius and intellect in battle and out.
Maika became known for her bloody hair and the jasper stones that her opponents saw last.
III.
She met Kakashi a few weeks after she became a jounin at the Memorial Stone.
"Kakashi-sempai," She greeted quietly, laying a bouquet of red lilies in front of the monument.
"Maika-chan." He returned, staring desolately at the stone. "Congratulations, I heard you made jounin."
"Yes." She paused, tracing two names on the stone. "Do you think they would be proud of what I've become?"
Kakashi didn't have to ask who she was talking about. "I think they would be ecstatic." He murmured softly.
Maika nodded and they spent two hours together, quiet and filled with ghosts of people long gone.
IV.
It was October 10th and she was on patrol with Itachi, Shisui, and two other chunin. She was numb, cold, as she always was on this day and she knew her teammates kept a close eye on her.
A commotion caught her eye and she veered off, ignoring the chunins' protest.
A large crowd was gathered, screaming and shouting at a small, yellow bundle huddled against the wall.
Her blood turned to ice, a dark suspicion growing.
Maika leapt to the top of the building the small bundle was hugging and glanced down just as the little boy glanced up. She was barely aware that Itachi and Shisui had followed her.
Her pale pink eyes met cerulean blue eyes a mix of sky and ocean.
Namikaze Minato's eyes. Nii-san's eyes.
Stones hit her nephew's small body hard and a man charged out of the crowd, butcher's knife raised. Others followed him, various household weapons in their hands. A drop of Naruto's life-force dripped onto the floor.
Uzumaki Maika saw red.
Chitama flashed silver in the moonlight and warm blood spilled on the uneven pavement.
Just like it had done six long years ago when the moon shone red and a demon fox was released in the Village of Konohagakure.
V.
She never fully remembered what had happened that day.
Only that, when it was over, Itachi had his arms around her - restraining her, she realized dimly - , Shisui was barking orders at the frozen chunin, and civilians were bleeding out on the floor or screaming murder.
"Maika-hime." Itachi whispered into her ear, his quiet baritone cutting through her blood rage. "See to Naruto-kun."
She gritted her teeth, but sheathed Chitama and walked over to her nephew's trembling form. He hadn't moved from his position against the wall and stared at her with frightened blue eyes.
Maika knelt in front of him, taking care to appear nonthreatening. The child, just barely five years old, flinched away from her.
Her heart clenched.
"Naruto," She said softly, gentling her voice. "It's okay. My name is Maika. I'm not going to hurt you. I protected you, remember?"
He didn't say anything, but relaxed slightly, lulled by her kind pink eyes.
"I'm going to pick you up, okay?" Maika held out her arms, keeping her eyes on his firmly. "I won't hurt you, I promise."
Naruto wet his lips. "Promise?" He asked, young voice hoarse like he had been screaming. She hurriedly suppressed her anger before he could see it.
"Promise." She reassured, picking the painfully light boy up and holding him against her shoulder protectively. "I won't hurt you. No one's ever going to hurt you again."
Her nephew let out a soft sob and pressed his face against the crook of her neck. Maika tenderly stroked his back and was reminded of the last time she had held Naruto; he had been little more than a babe then, she thought bitterly.
She was a jounin nowadays. Maika's eyes narrowed, determination flaring. She wasn't weak, anymore. She would keep her promise to Kushina and Minato.
VI.
"Uzumaki Naruto is my charge now." Maika declared boldly in front of the entire Council, said boy happily asleep in her apartment.
No one dared to challenge her, not with Shisui of the Body Flicker and Itachi, Heir of the Uchiha Clan standing quietly behind her, fully matured Sharingan eyes spinning dangerously.
Maika's own eyes seemed to be glowing with an inner light, as was her body, seemingly wreathed in a subtle red aura.
More than one person remembered a fiery, violently loyal redhead challenging them fearlessly, years ago, for her precious people and applauded Kushina for how very alike her sister had turned out to be.
The Sandaime smoked his pipe and smiled.
VII.
Naruto woke up the next morning and wondered why his bed was so soft. It was normally hard as a rock, but he was so warm and comfortable. What had happened last night?
It was his birthday, he recalled and grimaced. His birthdays never turned out well. But, why wasn't he hurting and bruised everywhere?
Let's see, the villagers had chased him again; that was normal. He had ended up cornered and prepared himself for the beating to come and then...
Naruto's eyes snapped open and he was promptly greeted with a sunny desert ceiling. Eyes wide, he sat straight up and gawked around him.
He was sitting in a bed with cream sheets and his limbs were tangled in a warm, white blanket. The room he was in was really nice. They were brown rugs that looked pretty soft and chestnut furniture. There was even a tree with bright green leaves in the corner!
It definitely wasn't his own ugly, broken down apartment.
That's right. She had saved him, that pretty girl with dark red hair called Maika. She had leapt from the sky like a crimson angel and sliced through all of his attackers with that shining blade, unbelievably fast and stunningly skilled. None of them had stood a chance, lasted less than three minutes.
When it was over, two boys had jumped down from nowhere and one of them had stopped the crimson angel, while the other one took care of the bleeding villagers. Naruto didn't know what the boy with long, black hair had said to the angel, but she had put away her sword and came to him.
He had been scared; terrified that she would turn on him - all the villagers called him a monster and monsters should be killed, right? But at the same time, he had been dazzled by the crimson angel with her rose pink eyes and pretty red jewelry and dark clothes splattered with blood. She had been frightening, but so, so beautiful.
Naruto remembered thinking, 'I'd rather die by her hands than those villagers.'
But, she hadn't killed him, and had, to his surprise, been very kind. When she had promised she wouldn't hurt him, he found himself believing her. Something in her eyes had been genuine, awfully honest and it would have been a crime to accuse her of lying to him, then.
The crimson angel had introduced herself as Maika and picked him up. Her hold had been gentle...warm. No one had ever held him like that; the people at the orphanage hated him. But, the angel's touch had been thoughtful, caring. She had felt safe.
After that, Naruto didn't remember much. He thought he might have fallen asleep on Maika; it had been a long time since he had felt safe. Was he in her home then? What was going to happen now? Would she throw him back in his apartment and disappear?
Gritting his teeth, he fought off his tears and threw the blanket off of him. Underneath, he was wearing the clothes he had been in yesterday. Naruto stood up on the carpet, it was soft, and cautiously opened the door. He glanced around, but there wasn't anyone around. The blonde spotted a light to the right and moved towards it carefully.
Stepping into the light, Naruto found himself in a kitchen.
"Good morning, Naruto!" Maika said cheerfully.
He blinked. His savior was standing in front of the stove, wearing a cheerful yellow apron. She smiled at him, bright and sweet, and in the light of day, it was hard to connect the dark, formidable crimson angel with the radiant, lively girl in front of him.
"Good morning...Maika-chan." Naruto replied slowly.
She beamed at him. "Do you like pancakes?"
He nodded and she darted around the kitchen to place a plate stacked full of pancakes on a small, mahogany table with a vase of pretty flowers in the middle.
"Breakfast!" She told him, wandering back to the kitchen.
Dazed, Naruto could only sit in a chair and start eating pancakes. At the first spoonful, he started shoving the stuff into his mouth. He hadn't realized how hungry he was and the pancakes were some of the best things he'd tasted. What...was going on?
A few minutes later, Maika joined him at the table with her own plate. "Good?"
The blonde nodded. "They're really good!"
Maika smiled and ate her pancakes. "I know you must have questions, Naruto." She said gently. "Ask."
Naruto gulped and before he could stop himself, a torrent of questions left his mouth. "Why am I here? Who are you? Why'd you help me? Why are you feeding me? Do I owe you? Are you a ninja? Can I stay-"
He clamped his hand over his mouth, mortified. What had he done? Now, he had probably made Maika-chan angry - who would let a monster stay with them? - and oh God, there went his chances of being friends with her-
Low laughter cut off his thoughts and Naruto turned to see Maika smiling at him. "You're here, because this is your home. I'm Uzumaki Maika, your new guardian. I helped you, because I knew your parents. I'm feeding you, because you were hungry. You don't owe me anything. I am a ninja and you are perfectly welcome to stay."
Naruto stared blankly at her, trying to process the bucket of information she had just thrown at him.
...WHAT?!
There were a lot of things he could ask about, but what came out of his mouth was, "I can stay?" His voice was timid and weak despite himself.
Maika gazed at him with affectionate eyes. "You can stay."
Naruto launched himself across the table with a joyful cry and Maika caught him easily, chuckling softly.
It was good to be with family again.
VIII.
Naruto naturally had a lot of questions after the shock sank in.
"This is my home?" He asked, hugging a dark blue pillow to himself on a sofa.
Maika nodded, sitting opposite of him. "This was your parents' home, it is my home, and thus, it is your home."
"You said you knew my parents." Naruto said, looking around him in awe. His parents had once lived here.
"I did." She responded. "I'll tell you about them when you grow up a bit, but they were great people."
Naruto hesitated, but asked, "Why can't you tell me now?"
To his relief, Maika didn't look angry. "It's a secret, a big one, and if I tell you now, it'll put you and me in danger." She explained.
He didn't understand that, but he didn't want Maika-chan in danger, so he let it go. "You're my new gar-den?"
"Guardian." She corrected gently. "And yes. I...convinced the Council to make me your guardian after yesterday's encounter."
"Oh." Naruto sorta got that, but... "Why not, earlier?" He whispered, hurt even though he knew it shouldn't be. Why couldn't Maika-chan do that before?
Her face softened and she crossed the room to sat down next to him and pull him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I wasn't strong enough to protect you, before, and they didn't let me go anywhere near you."
Naruto clung desperately to her. "Why?!" He cried out. "Why?"
"Ssshh. It's okay, Naruto. I won't leave you." She murmured. "I won't leave you."
Sniffling, he pulled back to stare into her eyes. "Promise?"
Maika met his eyes squarely. "Promise."
Next time:
"I - I'm -" Naruto paused for a moment, before gathering up his courage and saying clearly, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke." He said coolly. "Are you really Maika-san's little brother?"
Me: And now, the reviews!
chibi-no-baka: Lolz, maybe. :P. Kakashi's been wandering here and there, off doing Anbu stuff. As for Danzo... she may be a jounin, but I don't think Maika to ready to take him on yet. Thanks for the review, hun!
NightlyRowanTree: I shall do my best! XD
ShikiUploadz: You make it sound so easy. But it's not. *pouts*
SleepAroundTheClock: Yup, she does! No worries, you're not alone! When I was 9, I was a terrible child. Thanks so much for your review!
bageltiger: Lolz, that's great! I think she gets it from Kushina. *thumbs-up*
Rosy Fire: Oh, thank you! Reviews are always, always welcome! But, err, I agree with you that Itachi is adorbs, but you can't kill him! What would Maika do?! Thanks for the review, sweetie!
Thoroughly Misguided: Pft! I would love to see the face Fugaku makes when he's presented with some cold water. Our little Maika and Itachi are growing up! And now I'm allowed to put in some more romance. I don't know. ^_^, thanks for your lovely review, dear reader!
Sonata Fuling: Glad you think so, darling! It took a while... but here you go!
AnimePleasegood: Well, they're pretty awesome even without my input! Yeah, Maika stuck it to that Fugaku! Mikoto is an awesome teacher, too! Did you like how things turned out for Naruto and Maika?! She can finally see her nephew! Lolz, I do. Sarada is an adorable, sly kunoichi already, and, really, Sasuke has always been a douche. Even Kasumi - from my other story, Amber Spirit - can't really save him much. But, anyhow, thanks for the review, hun!
Good Omens: ;D, it was. It's probably true though! I mean, Kushina is awesome. I sometimes preach about it. Thanks for the review, sweetie!
Wren: Kyaa! I'm sorry! Please don't cry! Exams kinda got in the way and then other stuff... but I updated Amber Spirit, so you should be okay? Right? Right?! *runs around panicking*
Avarianna: Lolz, no prob, hun! My pleasure!
fanfictionnatic: Maika pushed through, didn't she? After everything that happened to her. *sniff* Our little girl is growing up! Ah, and so is Itachi. XD. Thanks for the review, sweetie!
AkemiMimi: Well, he was kinda strict, neh? I'll do my best!
Me: Okay! Thanks for all of my lovely reviews! Ah, and major thanks to my betas! Until next time~